1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a starch cooking/dispensing apparatus for preparing individual batches of cooked starch and dispensing each batch individually to a commercial laundry machine as needed.
2. Description of Related Art
In most modern commercial laundries, starch is added to the commercial laundry machines either by adding a precooked dry starch or a liquid synthetic starch directly to the machines as needed. Both precooked and synthetic starch are significantly more expensive than uncooked starch, which is sometimes referred to as "pearl starch". Additionally, precooked starch frequently does not dissolve completely leaving starch specks on the garments as well as causing starch build-up on the press heads when the garments are pressed. To avoid the expense of precooked starch some commercial laundries add uncooked starch directly to the laundry machines. The uncooked starch is later cooked when the garment is pressed. Although this method reduces starch costs, it causes starch buildup on the press heads and results in uneven starching of the garments.
To reduce the costs of using precooked dry starch or synthetic starch and to avoid the problems with using uncooked starch, some larger commercial laundries use existing starch cookers in which a large vat of starch solution is cooked and then drawn from the vat manually. Some examples of existing starch cookers can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,253,262 to Bierly, U.S. Pat No. 1,418,320 to Miller, or U.S. Pat. No. 1,190,690 to Tyler.
Some existing starch cookers use steam both to cook the starch and to agitate the starch solution. Agitation of the starch during cooking is necessary to prevent the formation of lumps. Agitation with steam, however, generally is not sufficient to prevent the formation of lumps. Thus, the existing cookers that use steam both to agitate and to cook the starch often create a starch having lumps that cause uneven starching of the garments and starch build up on the press heads when the garments are pressed. Furthermore, if the steam is left on continuously, the starch may overcook resulting in inferior starching of the garments. If the steam is turned off, the starch settles leaving an unevenly mixed solution.
Some existing starch cookers use a continuously-heated jacket around the starch cooking vat to cook the starch. The jacket, generally heated by steam coils, remains hot at all times often causing over-cooking of the starch and lumps.
Another problem with existing starch cookers is the large size of the vats and the consequently large quantities of starch that are cooked. If the entire batch of starch is not used on the same day it is cooked, it may spoil and impart a foul odor to the garments if it is used. Thus, it is sometimes necessary to discard unused starch mixed by the larger vat starch cookers. Moreover, the large size also causes problems with cleaning. Any neglect in the cleaning of the starch vat may result in spoilage of residual starch left in the vat. The spoiled residual starch may impart an odor to the next batch of starch making the next batch unsuitable for use.
With some existing starch cookers, the hot starch is drawn off manually and carried to the commercial laundry machine. The manual transfer of the hot starch presents the danger of employees being burned.